Continuous process of forming metal balls



Feb. 3. 1925. 1,525,222

. F. M. CANDA CONTINUOUS PROCESS OF FORMING METAL BALLS Filed May 21,. 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 F. M. CANDA CONTINUOUS PROCESS OF FORMING METAL BALLS Filed May 21, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 3, 1925.

FERDINAND MORA CA NDA, OF NEVJ YORK, N. Y.

CONTINUOUS ZPRO'CESS OF FORMING METAL BALLS.

Application filed May 21,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that FERDINAND Mona GANDA, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, has invented certain new and useful Improvements in Continuous Processes of Forming Metal Balls, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a method of forming balls from rod-stock by a series of successive steps and to an organization for carrying out the method in a manner to enable the whole process to be accomplished at a single heat.

The object of my invention is to increase the output of ball rolling mills or plants .and to reduce the cost of production.

For the purpose of disclosing my method of operation and one organization of mechanism for performing the steps in sequence from the stock-bar to the finished balls, I shall refer to the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1 is a top plan view of one arrangement of mechanism for carrying out my invention, the heating furnace being shown partly in section; Fig. 2, is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, is an end elevation, partly in section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are sectional views on the lines 4-4, 55 and 66 of Fig. 1, respectively; Fig. 7 is a detail showing a bar being sheared by the cutter blades; and Fig. 8 is a sectional view on the line 88 of Fig. 7.

The long bars 10, as they are received from the rolling mill, are placed upon the inclined feed table 12 of the heating furnace 15, the table forming a continuation of the floor or hearth of the heating chamber, which may be gas-fired or otherwise heated.

The hearth and feed table are provided with a number of spaced ribs or supporting members 16, forming work supports which hold the rods above the furnace floor so that the flames and heat may completely envelop them. Certain of the ribs or supports are formed of pairs of specially shaped fire brick 18, which are spaced apart to provide a channel or slot through which the reciprocable lifting members of the feed mechanism may operate. These lifting members preferably consist of carborundum blocks or bricks 20 which are seated at 1924. Serial No. 714,969.

their lower ends in a groove in the upper side of the cast metal beam or carrier 21, the latter being water cooled by a longitudinal cavity 23, connected in any suitable manner with inlet and outlet water connections. Depending from the carrier beam are integral lugs 25 which are pivotally connected to crank-arms 26, the latter being mounted on trunnions 27 supported by an I-beam 29 which supports the cast iron bed plates 30. Reciprocating motion is imparted to the carrier beam of the feed device through connecting rods 32, pivoted at one end to pins 34 on the forward lug and at the other end to the crank-pin 35 of a suitable motor 36.

As the feed device revolves, the rods 10 are intermittently lifted by the members 20 and carried forward a short distance, the rods being thus advanced through the furnace in a step by step manner. By the time the rods drop into the channel 37 at the inner side of the floor or hearth, they are heatedto the desired temperature. The rods are then grasped by tongs in succession and inserted between the feed rolls 38 which carry the pairs of cutter blades 40, being driven by a suitable motor 41. As the long rods travel through the feed rolls, the cutter blades shear the rod into short lengths or billets of uniform size, which are caught by the chains 43 of the endless conveyor and fed into the ball rolling machine 45, of the type shown in prior Patent No. 1,189,662, from whence they vissue in the form of balls.

The method above described is continuous process each step in the operation following in regular sequence and each part of the mechanism being coordinated to every other part. 'The steps of heating, shearing and ball forming follow in quick succession so that there is little heat loss and the metal reaches the ball forming stage in proper condition to readily flow as it is displaced by the ribs and shaped in the grooves of the ball rolling machine.

I claim:

1. The herein described method of forming balls from long stock-rods or bars, which comprises feeding the rods progressively through a heating chamber, cutting the heated rods into billets of predetermined length, and while the metal is still hot rolling the billets between surfaces which shape the metal into a cal bodies.

2. An organized mechanism for forming balls from long stock-rods or bars in a continuous operation, comprising a heating chamber, means for progressively moving the rods through the chamber, a shearing device having means for withdrawing the rods from said chamber and shearing them into billets of predetermined length, ball rolling mechanism operating to sever the billets into blanks and shape the metal into spherical bodies, and conveying means operating to receive the billets from the shearplurality of spheriing device and to deliver them to the ball 15 rolling mechanism.

3. An organized mechanism for forming balls from long stock-rods or bars in a continuous operation, comprising a heating chamber, mechanism, feeding means operating to transfer the rods from the heating chamber to the shearing means, and conveying means operating to transfer the severed billets from the shearing means to the ball forging mechanism.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature.

FERDINAND MORA CANDA.

shearing means, and ball forging 0 

